Atlanta – The Hawks play twice this week so Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver are must-starts. Outside of those four, I’d be hesitant to start any Hawks. And owners of Smith have to hope he doesn’t get traded while he’s stuck in your lineup.

Boston – Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have been hot since Rajon Rondo went down, while Jeff Green is a nice sleeper. Avery Bradley, Jason Terry and Courtney Lee are all worth a look, along with Brandon Bass, but none of them have been very consistent. Pierce went off on Sunday with 27 points, 14 boards and 14 dimes for a massive triple-double. While I don't believe the Celtics are better without Rondo, they've somehow won seven straight games, as Pierce and KG are going off.

Brooklyn – Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez are must-starts with two games, while Reggie Evans can be used if you are desperate for boards and don’t care about points. Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries have been walking disasters and while I still think there’s a chance Wallace will figure it out, he shouldn’t be in lineups when you can help it. At least he’s getting minutes, unlike Humps.

Cleveland – As usual, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are your must-starts, while Dion Waiters (who was awful on Saturday) and Alonzo Gee (who was great on Saturday) are also worth a look. Marreese Speights hit just 1-of-10 shots for five points on Saturday, but is still getting enough minutes and playing well enough to also be given serious fantasy consideration.

Golden State – The Warriors play just one game this week, leaving owners of Stephen Curry and David Lee with a tough decision. Jarrett Jack is dealing with a shoulder injury and sat out on Saturday, while Andrew Bogut also missed that one, as he’s still not playing in back-to-backs. I’d lean toward playing Curry and Lee, but the rest of the Warriors, including Carl Landry, aren’t worth using with just one game.

Houston – James Harden is the next best thing not named LeBron James, and is as must-start as they come these days. Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Chandler Parsons (awful Sunday) and Omer Asik are all strong plays this week. Carlos Delfino might be worth a look now that his shoulder injury is behind him, but I’m not comfortable with starting him right now (although he played well on Sunday). Harden appeared to hurt his leg on Sunday night, but played through it.

Indiana – Danny Granger could make his season debut on Wednesday, but could also wait until after the break to come back for the Pacers. He will be rusty and I wouldn’t risk playing him at this point. Paul George, David West, George Hill and Roy Hibbert are all strong plays, but I wouldn’t mess with Lance Stephenson, especially with Granger possibly ready to return.

L.A. Clippers – The Clips are the only team to play three games this week, meaning Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford are all must-starts, while DeAndre Jordan, who was hot coming into Sunday, all but disappeared in that one, and Matt Barnes are also worth a close look. Eric Bledsoe played well on Sunday, but I don’t really trust him with CP3 healthy, and Caron Butler left Sunday with a back injury, meaning he’s too risky to start. If he’s out, Barnes looks like a safe play.

L.A. Lakers – Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace and Earl Clark are your must-starts for the Lakers, although starting MWP could do serious damage to your field goal percentage. Steve Nash is also a pretty solid play, even though he’s looking like a 40-year-old, defenseless point guard instead of vintage Nash. Jodie Meeks is also worth a look in deeper leagues, as is Antawn Jamison. However, Jamison has struggled to produce and get minutes over his last three games, making him a pretty risky play. I still think Jamison will bounce back soon, as he’s going to have to see minutes with Pau Gasol out indefinitely.

Atlanta – The Hawks play twice this week so Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver are must-starts. Outside of those four, I’d be hesitant to start any Hawks. And owners of Smith have to hope he doesn’t get traded while he’s stuck in your lineup.

Boston – Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have been hot since Rajon Rondo went down, while Jeff Green is a nice sleeper. Avery Bradley, Jason Terry and Courtney Lee are all worth a look, along with Brandon Bass, but none of them have been very consistent. Pierce went off on Sunday with 27 points, 14 boards and 14 dimes for a massive triple-double. While I don't believe the Celtics are better without Rondo, they've somehow won seven straight games, as Pierce and KG are going off.

Brooklyn – Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez are must-starts with two games, while Reggie Evans can be used if you are desperate for boards and don’t care about points. Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries have been walking disasters and while I still think there’s a chance Wallace will figure it out, he shouldn’t be in lineups when you can help it. At least he’s getting minutes, unlike Humps.

Cleveland – As usual, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are your must-starts, while Dion Waiters (who was awful on Saturday) and Alonzo Gee (who was great on Saturday) are also worth a look. Marreese Speights hit just 1-of-10 shots for five points on Saturday, but is still getting enough minutes and playing well enough to also be given serious fantasy consideration.

Golden State – The Warriors play just one game this week, leaving owners of Stephen Curry and David Lee with a tough decision. Jarrett Jack is dealing with a shoulder injury and sat out on Saturday, while Andrew Bogut also missed that one, as he’s still not playing in back-to-backs. I’d lean toward playing Curry and Lee, but the rest of the Warriors, including Carl Landry, aren’t worth using with just one game.

Houston – James Harden is the next best thing not named LeBron James, and is as must-start as they come these days. Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Chandler Parsons (awful Sunday) and Omer Asik are all strong plays this week. Carlos Delfino might be worth a look now that his shoulder injury is behind him, but I’m not comfortable with starting him right now (although he played well on Sunday). Harden appeared to hurt his leg on Sunday night, but played through it.

Indiana – Danny Granger could make his season debut on Wednesday, but could also wait until after the break to come back for the Pacers. He will be rusty and I wouldn’t risk playing him at this point. Paul George, David West, George Hill and Roy Hibbert are all strong plays, but I wouldn’t mess with Lance Stephenson, especially with Granger possibly ready to return.

L.A. Clippers – The Clips are the only team to play three games this week, meaning Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford are all must-starts, while DeAndre Jordan, who was hot coming into Sunday, all but disappeared in that one, and Matt Barnes are also worth a close look. Eric Bledsoe played well on Sunday, but I don’t really trust him with CP3 healthy, and Caron Butler left Sunday with a back injury, meaning he’s too risky to start. If he’s out, Barnes looks like a safe play.

L.A. Lakers – Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace and Earl Clark are your must-starts for the Lakers, although starting MWP could do serious damage to your field goal percentage. Steve Nash is also a pretty solid play, even though he’s looking like a 40-year-old, defenseless point guard instead of vintage Nash. Jodie Meeks is also worth a look in deeper leagues, as is Antawn Jamison. However, Jamison has struggled to produce and get minutes over his last three games, making him a pretty risky play. I still think Jamison will bounce back soon, as he’s going to have to see minutes with Pau Gasol out indefinitely.

Miami – LeBron James is on an historic run right now, becoming the third player ever to score 30 points and shoot over 60 percent in five straight games. The Heat have two games this week and four in Week 17, so Bron’s owners are about to go on a run. Dwyane Wade (also on fire) and Chris Bosh are also must-starts, while Mario Chalmers and Ray Allen are at least worth a look. Chalmers had 13 points, four boards and three dimes on Sunday, while Allen returned from the flu and had two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Milwaukee –Brandon Jennings is struggling with his shot and hasn’t shot it well from the line lately (13-of-20 in last three), but remains a must-start, along with Monta Ellis and Ersan Ilyasova. Samuel Dalembert is playing well enough to be used, while Larry Sanders missed Saturday’s game with his back injury and is iffy for Monday against the Wizards. Owners will have to watch for news, and Larry’s return will hurt Dalembert, although Sammy has earned more minutes going forward. My guess is Sanders will play on Monday, but it’s truly a guess.

New Orleans – Anthony Davis disappeared on Sunday and Eric Gordon had just six points, but both look like solid options this week, although owners should watch for news on Gordon, as the Hornets play Monday and they may still be holding him out of back-to-back situations. Greivis Vasquez (triple-double Friday) and Ryan Anderson are truly must-starts. Robin Lopez is also worth a look if you need a two-game center option. He had 17 points, eight boards and three blocks Friday, but Al-Farouq Aminu has been too inconsistent for my blood lately.

New York – J.R. Smith has shot it poorly in four straight games and bottomed out on Sunday, hitting 1-of-9 shots. Carmelo Anthony is still hot and had 42 in that one, but with one game, he looks like the only must-start in New York.

Philadelphia – Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Nick Young and Spencer Hawes all look like solid plays, while Lavoy Allen is suddenly worth a close look in all leagues with Thaddeus Young out with a hamstring injury. He’s another guy I overlooked in Waiver Wired, as he is averaging 10.8 points, 9.6 boards and 1.2 blocks over his last five games. Yes, Andrew Bynum could return at any time, but I’m not holding my breath, either for his return or for him to dominate when it happens.

Phoenix – The Suns also have just one game this week and are a disaster, in every sense of the word. All of them should be benched for now, and owners just have to hope that Marcin Gortat gets things figured out in the near future. If you want to cut Jared Dudley, I wouldn’t be mad at you, while Kendall Marshall is a guy to keep an eye on.

Utah – Paul Millsap had five fouls in 19 minutes on Saturday, while Al Jefferson also struggled in that one. Both remain must-start fantasy players, while Randy Foye, Derrick Favors, Marvin Williams and Alec Burks are all worth deep-league looks. Gordon Hayward missed his eighth straight game on Saturday and I wouldn’t show him the light of day until after the All-Star break, and even then we don’t know when he’ll be ready to play again.

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA for Rotoworld.com and a contributor to NBCSports.com. The 2017-18 NBA season marks (at least) his 16th year of covering fantasy hoops for Rotoworld. Follow him on Twitter - @Docktora.Email :Steve Alexander